236: Unexpected

Back at the inn, I settled in front of the fireplace with the dungeon guide in hand, and Colin was not kidding when he said it had additional notes.

The book was laid out through floors, with the early ones having a lot of information, and as soon as it started hitting floor six and seven onwards, that information got less and less, with it just describing the environment. But floor eight discussed unverified rumours, and floor nine and onwards were not mentioned at all.

It now made more sense of Milo’s comment on the grass on floor ten.

Continuing to read, I found the silver roots, and it explained a decent amount of information about them. They were indeed found on rich ore veins and were usually used as an indicator of where to find ore. It was often not collected, even in Colin’s notes; it was marked as a waste item not worth collecting.

But the guide itself went into more detail, mentioning that when used in alchemy it would give the potion a citrusy and floral taste before the numbing effect took over.

Deciding there would be no harm in doing a quick test here, I pulled out a single root. Cutting a small piece off, I used purify on it to remove the toxins. I didn’t know if it was eaten raw or cooked, but I felt it was likely best to cook a small bit first, just so I could see the buff potential, and perhaps know if it’s dangerous despite it being uncommon.

Attaching it to the end of a metal spike, I put it near the fire to let it roast for a short time. This obviously wouldn’t be the best way to cook it, but it’ll do for now.

“Doing tests?” Milo asked.

Nodding, “Yeah.”

Milo carried on. “Make sure you’re safe. You’re holding both wagons, remember,” Milo said very seriously.

“I am. I’ve purified it. It’s uncommon, and I’m just cooking a small piece now so I can see the buffs it would give, so I know if it’s excessive or not,” I listed all the things I was thinking.

Milo nodded. “And the book, what did it say?”

I repeated what it said exactly, ensuring I didn’t skip anything, just to be sure I didn’t misquote it.

“Alright, so sounds like if you get this wrong you’ll personally just be drooling and can’t speak for a few hours,” Milo chuckled.

Part of me also wondered if the numbing effect would be linked to the toxin, or a particular toxin, and when prepared for alchemy it just removed the dangerous ones.

I didn’t have time to worry about it, however, as Crisplet let off a burst of sparks, clearly watching the root while I was distracted with conversation.

“Thanks, Crisplet,” I whispered, pushing across happiness and gratitude.

What I held in front of me didn’t look appetising. It was partially charred from the fire, but even the parts that were not charred just had a grey, fibrous appearance.

I infused it and saw the buffs were fairly modest.

[Uncommon] Roast Silver Root.

+1 Wisdom.

+1 Perception.

Minor Ore Find.

“The stat part of the buff is nothing special, but it has a minor ability too. Looks to be a passive one, minor ore find,” I said to Milo, who was watching.

“That’s a fairly common skill among quarry workers and miners. It’s only minor, so you wouldn’t find anything rare with it, but there might be a way eventually that you could boost that up and make it very useful,” Milo said thoughtfully.

Figuring there was only one thing left to do, I tentatively took a bite of the root.

I expected my mouth to go numb instantly, but that didn’t happen at all. It wasn’t pleasant to eat, as it seemed almost stringy in texture, but for the soft flesh around that, I was surprised at the flavour. It was fairly intense, with a strong citrus taste, along with what could best be described as an almost sweet plant taste.

I chewed for nearly a minute and had absolutely no luck with the fibres. In the end I spat them out, but there was absolutely no numbing in my mouth. Looking at the rest of the uncooked root, I cut off just a tiny slice and ate it raw without purify or cooking.

At the very least, I should be fine due to the immunity I had, but this would also provide another towards my quest.

Chewing it, it had a much weaker citrus taste raw, with the plant taste being very strong, and it having an almost nutty quality. I also laughed at the notifications.

Poison attempt failed: Poison immunity.

Paralysis attempt failed: Poison immunity.

Letting out a laugh as I chewed, “Well, I’m safe from it, but raw seems like it wouldn’t be ideal. I got a poison and paralysis immunity notification. Tastes nice though, just too chewy.”

I knew of ways I could get around this. Several recipes I had read explained how you should pass an item through a sieve to remove the fibres and be left with a puree. This would be no different.

The next item I found in the guide was the rock berries, found on level three. It stated they were not worth much but made for a good snack while you’re on the move, and the guide and the notes encouraged you to pick up and store them for later floors if found.

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Though it shared very little in terms of taste. That said, with the guide and notes saying they were safe to eat, this one I just took one out and took a bite.

First impression was that you’re likely supposed to peel the skin, as it was very tough, but there was an explosion of juice in my mouth and it tasted delicious. It was sweet, almost honey-like in flavour, and strangely enough, it had an almost custard-like texture.

I felt like this one would be perfect in some dessert recipes, though I doubt it would be good for much cooking. Just to check though, I took the semi-eaten rock berry and, putting it on the same spike that held the root, placed it near the fire.

It didn’t take long before it appeared as though the inside was boiling and liquid was spitting out. I suspected that if it didn’t have the bite taken out to release pressure, we’d have had an exploded fruit, so I was right. This would not be usable cooked.

Removing it, it smelt sweeter, almost nutty now, and after allowing it to cool for a moment, I took another bite after infusing it.

[Uncommon] Baked Rock Berry

+2 Luck

The buff was incredibly simple. However, it was very curious as well. Then the name too, saying it was baked. I would have counted this as roasting myself.

But the luck was valuable. I wonder if I could use it in candy?

I never made it to the slug before Wyatt entered the room, followed closely by Luis helping to bring up bowls of food for everyone.

“I have dinner for you. Take it easy tonight,” Wyatt said happily.

It only took a couple of seconds for Lily to show up, and seemingly realising the food wasn’t what she expected, she flopped down by the fireplace.

“Where is Hari?” I asked.